Getting Students on Track

Huntsville's school district is giving troublesome students their last chance to straighten up. SCIP, which stands for Structured Compliance Intervention Program, is a partnership between the schools and the city, aimed at keeping students off the streets and in the classroom.

"We help students learn some self discipline that will allow them to not only obey the law and the rules of society, but also to complete their academic careers and to continue on to be successful citizens," said Linda Daniel, Deputy Superintendent for Huntsville ISD.

The program is a combination of community service and a tough boot camp, which consists of 5:30 a.m. exercise. There are also prevention days, which target at- risk students.

"They train the kids and teach the kids characteristics such as integrity and honesty. It's a very good character building program and I think it's an asset to the community," said Sergeant David O'Rear with Huntsville Police.

The city council agrees. It gives $45,000 to keep the program up and running. SCIP also gives a judge more options when sentencing a juvenile. It is also an alternative to expelling the student from school or sending them to a juvenile detention center.

It is rare that a student goes through SCIP more than once. The boot camp sergeants say a taste of what a life of crime can lead to is enough to get students back on track.

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